I've been feeling nostalgic all weekend. It's a strange and sad feeling, and one I think most people who choose to live far away from the country they were born and grew up in must experience at least once.

For me, it's been the combination of a very busy week, and also having my parents visiting from New Zealand. In truth the last week has been easy on me - as Mum and Dad have been staying with my brother (who is also settled in the UK). My week was normal.

Tomorrow they come back to London, and back to me for another week and a half. And then it will be goodbye again - for who knows how long. One year, two years, three?

And that is the burden of being an expat and living abroad. Every day I weigh up the pros and cons. Travel vs family time. A job I love vs settling. Living in one of the biggest cities in the world vs one of the smallest.

Does living abroad make the heart grow fonder?

a family trip kayaking down the Whanganui River, New Zealand - January 2009

Ten years ago I would have sworn black and blue that I would never return to New Zealand to live. The world was far too exciting to be stuck in the furthest corner of the globe, pretty much twelve hours flight from anywhere interesting.

These days I'm not quite as certain as that. The decision is not quite as black and white, and the topic of 'where are we going next?' is a often debated subject that sends us to sleep at least once every few weeks.

What about you? Do you live away from your country of birth? Or would you?

Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji are probably two of the most famous spots to visit in Kyoto, Japan. Translated their names mean the Gold Pavilion and Silver Pavilion.

Kinkaku-ji has always been a bustling tourist spot for as long as I've been visiting Japan. And it's no surprise really. No matter what the weather I'm always dazzled by the gleaming gold that cuts straight through the surrounding greenery. There's not much that can prepare you for the view of this temple, famous for it's gold-leaf covered exterior...

Ginkaku-ji on the other hand always makes me laugh and smile. It's name is deceptive, and it's not uncommon to hear people exclaim "but I thought it was silver" as they get their first glimpse of the pavilion - tourists and Japanese alike.

It's the Japanese gardens at Ginkaku-ji that really stand it apart from other temples in Kyoto - in particular the sand garden that never has a grain out of place.

Together Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji make the perfect pair, and the perfect day out in Kyoto.

La Bienal is the biggest flamenco event worldwide. Held every two years, for a whole month at a time Seville is the must-be city for all flamenco fans. The city was a wonderful host, and hubby and I were truly spoilt by the music, weather, people and sights.

There are three words I would use to describe Seville - warm, dramatic and self-assured...

1. Warm...
Friendly people swarmed the streets and tiled squares, with smiling faces raised towards the warm sun, while heat radiated from the cobbled paths. Vibrant coloured buildings, intermixed with golden sandstone. I saw families, friends and couples relaxing in the warmth of the streets and celebrating life in this warm Southern Spanish city.

2. DRAMATIC...
Never have I visited a city where I have been so overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the architecture! Move over Rome, New York and Tokyo - hello Seville. Not only are the buildings dramatic, but they are grand as well, and most importantly pleasant on the eyes.

Add to this architecture some dramatic flamenco music and dancing, emotional hand gestures, the rumble of excited voices, children running and playing in the beautiful squares (Seville has many) and people everywhere generally having a great time - and you have yourself one overwhelmingly dramatic city.

The Cathedral of St. Mary - the third largest cathedral in the world,

and the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals in terms of both area and volume...

...it was so big I couldn't even begin to capture the front entrance with my camera

3. Self-assured...
Sevillanos are proud of who they are, their culture, city, food and wine. They know themselves and what's important - family, children and friends. Self expression was everywhere, and seemed to be embraced by all.

I haven't been blogging as much as I normally do recently. That is because life is just a tiny bit crazy right now! I have my parents visiting from New Zealand, work is hectic and of course I'm squeezing in lots of travel as well.

So I thought this morning I'd share a few photos from the week just gone. Enjoy :)

Brighton Beach.

My parents and I did a little day trip out here on Monday.

I even convinced my Dad to go on the beach carousel with me!

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla and coconut icing.

I hosted my monthly bookclub (also known as cheese and wine club)

on Thursday night and baked these sweet cupcakes to share.

Brighton Pier.

Another snap from our day trip.

We watched the sun go down from sun chairs along the pier.

The English seaside and Fish & Chips.

A perfect combo.

Did I mention a visit to Brighton Beach?

Although my parents have visited London a few times now,

they had never been to Regents park.

We remedied that last weekend and had a picnic.

It was my Dad's birthday last Saturday.

So I got my bake on and baked a classic English Victoria Sponge,

filled with berries, jam and whipped cream.

I've been pounding the pavements quite a lot recently.

In fact I run to work most mornings as it's the only spare time I have to fit in exercise.

So I decided to treat myself to some lovely new runners.

And yes, I baked one more time.

A little lime and ginger slice.

Sweet and tangy.

This week's been like my own Great British Bake Off.

I'm currently in Spain this weekend - in Seville at the yearly Flamenco Festival - so will tell you all about it next week!

I love breakfast. It's my favourite meal of the day, and in the weekends it's even better as I normally have longer to linger over my eggs, coffee and toast.

I currently have my parents visiting us in London all the way from New Zealand, and it was my Dad's birthday yesterday, so what better way to start the celebrations than with a homemade family pancake breakfast?

Tea brewing, pancakes steaming, fruit glistening (well maybe that's an exaggeration) and maple syrup all the way from Canada at the ready - we soon got stuck in....

But I must finish where I left off! If you've never explored this little corner of the world I thoroughly recommend it. The Italian Riviera is a must see on anyone's travel wish list. So...

On day two of our holiday we decided to pull out our walking shoes and complete the 3.5 km walk from Monterosso al Mare (where we were staying) to Vernazza. It was a hot day, even for Spring but the landscape and views were both worth the sweat.

our first view of Vernazza on the walk from Monterosso al Mare

The walking path between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza hugs the terraced cliffs, so we were treated to sea views for most of the walk. And there were plenty of spots to sit, relax and enjoy the views as well... even the dogs on the trail seemed impressed!

Walking down into Vernazza was just as visually interesting... washing hanging from windows, the smell of freshly baked pastries and the salty sea air, vibrant colours and the chatter of many happy holiday makers.

walking down into Vernazza

local fishing boats

Of course we headed directly for the sea, only stopping for gelato and water. I had the most delicious pineapple flavoured gelato. For any kiwis our there reading - it tasted just like a pineapple fruju :)

Then the boys went for a swim while us girls sunbathed. Others did yoga on the rocks...

By mid afternoon our stomachs were growling, so we followed our noses and feasted on fresh seafood Italian pasta and beer.

Bellies full, we moved on to local wine and then meandered around the town until it was time to leisurely make our way home...

the view looking back to Monterosso al Mare

Do you have a favourite seaside town in Europe? I think Cinque Terre might just be my #1 spot :)

The ocean is beautiful. For me there's something about the sound of waves crashing against the sand, the stickiness of salt in your hair, on your face and the refreshing vividness of the smell!

Visiting the ocean makes me happy.

So I was very happy and pleasantly surprised when hubby and I arrived in St Leonards-on-Sea and Hastings for a long weekend to see wide open ocean for miles that was just asking to be explored...

enjoying the sunset on East Hill, overlooking Hastings Old Town

Hastings old town sits between two hills, both worth climbing. On the west sits the ruins of Hastings Castle, and to the East is the conveniently named 'East Hill', with sweeping views of the town and ocean.

As well as the ocean, Hastings Old Town has it's own charm too. We ignored the penny arcades along the promenade and headed inland to tour the old cobbled streets.

And then it was back to the beach!

walking along Hastings beach

I have a bit of a soft spot for early morning activities when at the ocean. On our second day in Hastings I donned my running shoes and headed west...

... and I wasn't the only person up early.

Even when the ocean's stormy I think it's beautiful. On our last day in Hastings the rain came. Thankfully we had a great view of Hastings Beach from our holiday rental. Dramatic right!

If you want to visit Hastings it's just a short 90 minute train ride from London Charing Cross Station. Train tickets on Southern Railways are actually relatively cheap - we paid £22 return each, which is quite a bargain for the UK. Yay!!

If you've been stopping by here for a little while you may have read my making London home post from the start of this year, where I vowed to stop treating my time in London as temporary and to try and make it feel a little bit more like home...

Well, it's been a long road, and I'm not sure I'll ever find anywhere that I want to put my feet up in for the rest of my life, but I have made some conscience choices to really enable us to enjoy our London lifestyle a bit more. I mean, come on - it's been five years already!

Some of the changes we've made this year...

first we moved flats back in March, upgrading from a 1-bedroom, dark, cramped flat in W2 to a lovely light 2-bedroom place with an extra-big new kitchen and garden out the back in NW6. These days I enjoy coming home from work.

then we bought some furniture. Not lots of expensive stuff, but a few nice Ikea pieces that make life that much more comfortable.

our spare room, complete with homemade quilt and origami cranes

next we added some personal touches. I even got creative (inspired by many lovely blogs out there) and made my first quilt... of course it's travel themed - bringing a tiny piece of wanderlust into our spare room! Do you like the fabric?

I've printed and framed wedding photographs too, and finally hung some of the art I've been storing under the bed. Here's one of my more risky pieces...

We've been exploring our new neighbourhood bit by bit during the weekends. We now have a regular pub, favourite local restaurant and farmers market we stop by every weekend.

We've also met our neighbours and even shared a few bottles of wine.

And next week my parents arrive on a month-long visit from New Zealand. The finishing touch to a eight-month journey. Because anywhere feels like home when you've got family with you.

Hope you're having a great week. Mine has been a little stressful at work... bring on the weekend!